United Kingdom, Feb. 15 -- William Shatner could either "eat or pay to do the laundry" before he made it in showbiz.

The 93-year-old actor is best known for his role as James T. Kirk in the 'Star Trek' franchise but admitted that when he first began his career, he struggled to make money and could only deem himself a "success" once he could afford more than one necessity at a time.

He told UsWeekly: "My first job was an actor. I didn't get paid for many, many years as an amateur actor in Montreal. As an adolescent, I joined a group of actors who were on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio, so there were half a dozen actors that could make some money in Montreal.

"I was one of them, and it continued on through high school and then u...